No More Church

(1/80, f8, iso-100, 10mm)

A remastered version of a photo I posted in color on November 21st of 2011. Because of the contrasts on this early morning in Villanueva de Jalon (60km southwest of Zaragoza, Spain) I opted for black and white while remastering.
Here‘s the original photo/post.

Tags: Abandoned, Aragon, B&W, Black & White, Church, Ermita, Landscape, Light, Luz, Mountains, Nature, Photo, Photography, Ruin, Shadows, sky, Spain, Texture

86 thoughts on “No More Church”

noellevignola on July 29, 2014 at 01:25 said:

I might have just fallen in love with you right in this photo. Man, I love your stuff.

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- Rondje on July 30, 2014 at 16:05 said:
  
  Haha, thanks so much, Noelle, this was a very special place for me, spend lots of sunrises there…
  You make me a happy photoblogger with your enthousiasm, lots of love to you too, Noelle.
  Hugs, Ron
  
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charmsofagypsy on April 21, 2013 at 11:12 said:

For some reason this photo really speaks to me. I just want to escape into this image, touch and feel the precious debris that’s laying on the ground, to try and hear what the broken pieces are saying.
Truly captivating.

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- Rondje on March 15, 2014 at 04:46 said:
  
  Oh, very bad of me to be seeing and responding to this so late, Whitney, sorry for that, but thanks so much for your enthousiasm and interest; such an amazing place to be and exactly like you said it feels very special to be in a place where you can feel history and sotries pouring from every stone!
  Feels like a world away having moved from Spain to Malaysia, but this photo makes me be there again for a little while…
  Hope all is well, greetings, Ron.
  
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steviegill on April 10, 2013 at 13:47 said:

Great tones, it’s almost like a charcoal drawing.

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- rondje on April 15, 2013 at 13:36 said:
  
  Thanks, Stevie, maybe I should try my hand on that to make it even more dramatic 😉
  Greetings, Ron.
  
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eldinsmille on March 22, 2013 at 13:32 said:

Where do you find these places? I like your post-apocalyptic photos… I hope you understand why I call them so!
(;

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Jerry on March 13, 2013 at 13:37 said:

EXCELLENT cature and the B&W made this photo.

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- Jerry on March 13, 2013 at 13:38 said:
  
  A shame it has the chemtrails in it. 😦
  
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  - rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:25 said:
    
    Thanks, Jerry, and in a way I would love to have it without the trails, TOO. But one thing you have to live with in Spain is those chemtrails and the electric wiring, here i thought I´ll use the trails for adding depth and strengthening the lines of the walls and roofbench and also the diffence between these old crumbling buildings and modern life going on…
    Thanks for your feedback, greetings, Ron.
    
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    - Jerry on March 13, 2013 at 15:49 said:
      
      It is the same here in Texas Rondje. I get so upset when I see a great shot and I have to leave it un shot because of such photo polution…electric wires, chemtrails or some unwanted thing in the photo. However, I see your point and where the trails did ad a sense of depth. 😉 Still a beautiful B&W.
      
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Anonymous on March 8, 2013 at 00:46 said:

What a gripping photo this is – enhanced by the use of black and white only.

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- rondje on March 8, 2013 at 01:25 said:
  
  Thanks, someone, thought the B&W worked better when I remastered it too, but less distracting and more dramatic.
  
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erassima on March 6, 2013 at 21:52 said:

Mooi contrast tussen de oude ruïne en de vliegtuigstrepen.

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- Rondje on March 15, 2014 at 04:46 said:
  
  Oeps, Wilma, sorry voor late reaktie, vond die strepen in de lucht ook leuk meewerken aan het lijnenspel en diepte 😉
  Groet, Ron.
  
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noelgreene on March 6, 2013 at 16:39 said:

I really like this image .. very special

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:26 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Noel, thats great to hear, all the best, Ron.
  
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fernigan on March 4, 2013 at 20:29 said:

Very dramatic 🙂
Great photo

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- Rondje on March 15, 2014 at 04:48 said:
  
  Ai, thats not nice to be responding so nice; somehow missed it here, but very grateful nonetheless by your comment, thanks so much, Fern, hope all is well, greetz, Ron.
  
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TERE on March 4, 2013 at 20:21 said:

Me gustan esas fotos de lugares que ya no parecen servir para nada más que ser fotografiados…

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- Rondje on March 15, 2014 at 04:53 said:
  
  Gracias y lo siento por responder muy tarde, saludos, Ron.
  
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lancoliebleue on March 4, 2013 at 18:17 said:

J’adore. un ciel ouvert sur la nature 😉

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burnettfreelanceimagery on March 4, 2013 at 16:45 said:

Amazing image.

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- Rondje on March 15, 2014 at 04:54 said:
  
  Thanks very much, Burnett, and I´m very sorry for responding more than a year later, but still appreciate your enthousiasm, hope all is well,
  Greetings, Ron.
  
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East of Elveden on March 4, 2013 at 11:01 said:

Ah, the beauty of abandoned crumbling chrches.

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- Rondje on March 15, 2014 at 04:56 said:
  
  Thanks, Laurence, sorry to be seeing this so late, but from an abandoned buildings and landscape enthousiast this is great to hear 😉
  Greetings, Ron.
  
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SeniSilat on March 3, 2013 at 14:41 said:

So great!

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- Rondje on March 15, 2014 at 06:06 said:
  
  Oh, didnt even make it to answer in a year 😉
  Sorry for that, nonetheless very big thanks for stopping by, hope all is great
  Greetings, Ron.
  
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  - SeniSilat on March 25, 2014 at 21:57 said:
    
    Il n’est jamais trop tard… 🙂
    
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Tina Schell on March 2, 2013 at 19:03 said:

Love the way you captured the view through the ceiling. Well done!

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 23:30 said:
  
  Thank you, Tina, Always nice to have a view through the ceiling, also handy when you need some extra natural light coming in 😉
  Greetings, Ron
  
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mamjakty on February 28, 2013 at 21:34 said:

absolutely amazing! personally i don’t like white lines on the sky:) but this is not an objection to you of course.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 22:31 said:
  
  Hi Mamjakty, i agree, but in some parts of Spain it´s pretty hard to find a place without and here I hoped it added to the desolate feel versus modern life flying overhead 😉
  Thanks for your thoughts on this one and greetings, Ron.
  
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ladyfi on February 28, 2013 at 18:58 said:

How very lovely!

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 22:20 said:
  
  Thanks a lot, LadyFi, nice of you to comment here, greetings, Ron.
  
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Nick Van Zanten on February 20, 2013 at 00:32 said:

B&W Good Choice.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 22:07 said:
  
  Thanks very much for your thought, Nick. Hope all is wel, Ron.
  
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Scott Marshall on February 19, 2013 at 23:44 said:

Personally I prefer the colour shot – but hey that’s subjective photography for you – they both work though

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 22:05 said:
  
  Thanks, Scott, well true, but I do learn a lot with all these different opinions about what people like most and with this one I think it´s not so obvious to decide on the two, but like you said, i dont have to 😉
  Warm greetings from Spain, Ron.
  
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Jammie on February 15, 2013 at 12:46 said:

I like this photo because it obviously looks like a real place, but it has an eerie, surreal quality to it, too. Wonderful work!

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 18:23 said:
  
  Thank you, Jammie, it´s very real but if I didn´t know it existed I would hardly believe it 😉
  All the best, Ron.
  
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Henk Jonkvorst on February 13, 2013 at 20:06 said:

Het is me helemaal duidelijk bij welke fotocategorie jou hart ligt Ron. Ik heb hier eventjes genoten van je prachtige werk

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 18:20 said:
  
  Dank je wel, Henk, ja? is het zo duidelijk? 😉
  Bedankt voor het compliment en ja, denk dat naturbex ofzo wel een term zou zijn voor wat ik mooi vind…
  Groet, Ron.
  
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joserasan66 on February 13, 2013 at 19:56 said:

Muy Buena Fotografía, Un Gran B&N,… Me Gusta Mucho,… Un Saludo.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 18:16 said:
  
  Muchas gracias, Jose. y saludos tambien, Ron.
  
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Nature on the Edge on February 13, 2013 at 19:32 said:

Prefer the colour version, the b&w looks too bitty, too distracting? Interesting contrasts though.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 18:18 said:
  
  Thanks, Liz, great to hear all the different views on this one, totally understand where you´re coming from 😉
  Warm greetings from Spain, Ron.
  
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john todaro on February 13, 2013 at 17:18 said:

Great. Love the jet-trails.

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- john todaro on February 13, 2013 at 17:22 said:
  
  …and I much prefer the BW.
  
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  - rondje on March 13, 2013 at 17:12 said:
    
    Thanks, John, glad you like it, had to do something with it as they were there 😉
    Greetings, Ron.
    
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louvain95 on February 13, 2013 at 16:35 said:

The coloured one with the gentle light has much charm, but this BW one is downright striking and alludes to a violent, destructive past. Proficiat! Lou

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 15:01 said:
  
  Thanks a lot, Lou, very nice to hear your feedback on these ones; guess the b&w with contrast makes it more gritty and dramatic.
  All the best to you and thanks again for your thoughts, Ron.
  
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heatherdawn on February 13, 2013 at 16:18 said:

que maravilloso foto! the contrast and shadows are fantastic.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:59 said:
  
  Muchas gracias, Heather! I think the long shadows from the (really) early sunlight just coming over the mountainrange which you see in the distance makes nice long shadows in b&w 😉
  Saludos, Ron.
  
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Noeline Smith on February 12, 2013 at 10:34 said:

i like both versions. They both convey quite different emotions.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:58 said:
  
  Gracias, Noeline, guess they are different experiences for a viewer, thanks for all the feedback and support, hope all is well, Ron.
  
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Syncopated Eyeball on February 12, 2013 at 10:16 said:

I prefer the b/w in this case, Ron. The structure looks more ancient, there’s more depth, somehow, and greater mystery.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:57 said:
  
  Thank you, Ashley. Think the drama of the B&W is a bit more Obvious, thanks for your feedback, very much appreciated, greetings, Ron.
  
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Where God Takes Me on February 12, 2013 at 03:14 said:

Great photograph, the B&W is spectacular.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:55 said:
  
  Thanks very much, Viv. All the best, Ron.
  
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Shirley Buxton on February 12, 2013 at 02:15 said:

Oh, my goodness, this is truly amazing. Grabs my heart. Congratulations on such opportunity and skill.

Blessings……

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:41 said:
  
  Wow, thanks so much, Shirley, very nice to hear; I guess I´m most and for all very lucky to be able to go to these places at the right time 🙂
  All the best to you too, ron.
  
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Derrick Birdsall on February 12, 2013 at 00:11 said:

I’m liking the b/w much better! Nice.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:40 said:
  
  Thanks, Derrick, another one for the b&w, should be the drama 😉
  greetings, Ron.
  
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Juan Carlos on February 11, 2013 at 21:47 said:

Ron, I think that colour photo is more beautiful. I prefer the soil colours… I don’t know if you understand me. However, this photo in BN it’s beautiful too. Greetings!

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:40 said:
  
  Muchas gracias, Juan, nice to see lots of different opinions; yours is very understandable too and means you took your time to look at them and then I think the colored version is more rewarding too. Thanks and I totally understand. Saludos, Ron.
  
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Chillbrook on February 11, 2013 at 21:05 said:

Fabulous photograph Ron. Love it!

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:38 said:
  
  Thanks, Adrian, and also for asking me over at The Digital Lightroom (will come up with my 5 shortly), love your constant quality work.
  All the best to you Ron.
  
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mobius faith on February 11, 2013 at 20:12 said:

simply stunning.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:36 said:
  
  Thanks, Terry, good to hear you enjoyed this one, all the best, Ron.
  
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Cristian V. Photography on February 11, 2013 at 18:35 said:

Beautiful! Very beautiful!

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:36 said:
  
  Cheers, Christian, thanks a lot for stopping by. Saludos, Ron.
  
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  - Cristian V. Photography on March 13, 2013 at 15:42 said:
    
    You’re very welcome! 🙂
    
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Shannon on February 11, 2013 at 18:30 said:

The black and white is definitely more dramatic, but I do also like the color version. It’s like they each have a different version of the story. 🙂

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:34 said:
  
  Thank you, Shannon, seems more and me too think both are deserving life, which is great to hear 🙂
  All the best and thanks for support, Greetz, Ron.
  
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drawandshoot on February 11, 2013 at 18:03 said:

The black and white is quite haunting. The airplane trails really stand out – makes one think of the possibility that this church was bombed; but that’s just how I read it. The modern world and the ancient…
Beautiful!

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:33 said:
  
  Ahh, didnt see that bombing feel you mean now, should have been Obvious, after more research I found there has been some in the civil war, with the Guernica example being the worst. This one was ´luckily´ just abandoned because the walk up and down to the river which lies 50 meters below was too much for the villagers 🙂
  Have a great week, Ron.
  
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Louis on February 11, 2013 at 17:53 said:

The colour version makes an attractive picture but I feel the colours distract me from the gritty message of devastation you convey in the B&W.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:29 said:
  
  Thank you, Louis, thats exactly what is I think the main story of the photo, the intrigue about its past life, so thanks for saying that, greetings, Ron.
  
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northumbrianlight on February 11, 2013 at 17:44 said:

The imapct they have is so different it would be hard to choose a preference between them – I like them both but possibly edging towards the orignal colour version as the better of the two.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:31 said:
  
  Yep, theres no reason to choose, cuz I have em both 😉
  Maybe the b&w works well to get your first attention but once you take the time out, the color version maybe even has more to tell…
  Hope all is well, all the best, Ron.
  
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Melinda Green Harvey on February 11, 2013 at 17:35 said:

This is a very dramatic shot – and what a story there must be about the demise of the church!

I like the b&w white much better, as I think it conveys the drama better.

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- rondje on March 13, 2013 at 14:28 said:
  
  Thanks, Melinda, I think my thoughts were exactly those ot make it B&W, even more drama, although I like the soft sunlight on those old orangish walls, its not so dramatic! Greetz, Ron.
  
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seekraz on February 11, 2013 at 17:24 said:

What a contrast between the two images…

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- rondje on February 11, 2013 at 17:27 said:
  
  Totally true 😉
  You like the colored or b&w better?
  
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  - seekraz on February 11, 2013 at 19:44 said:
    
    Hmm…I was torn, actually…I do like the dark and shadows of the B&W, but also enjoy the rich earth tones of the first image….
    
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